


The Bet

by wrote_and_writ



Series: Drabbles and Prompt Answers [3]
Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-11-29 06:36:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18219524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wrote_and_writ/pseuds/wrote_and_writ
Summary: Requested by a friend on tumblr, some brotp fun timesAlso, I do not drive if I can help it, so I did rely on the Internets for help





	The Bet

“Noah, sit back, please? You’re making me nervous.”

Noah, whose chin had rested on Blue’s shoulder, nuzzled her ear like a cat and dropped into the back seat of Ronan’s BMW. Ronan sat in the passenger seat, feet propped on the dash, the picture of casual indifference. Only the white knuckles and bulging veins on the backs of his hands – his fingernails bit into his palms – belied this. 

“Whenever you’re ready, Maggot,” Ronan drawled. 

Blue gripped and regripped the steering wheel. She knew how to do this – in theory. She’d watched hours of videos and memorized the WikiHow article. She had to do this. A bet was a bet. She readjusted the mirrors, scooted her seat forward, then backward, then forward again, stopping it in the original position. She checked the seatbelt. Still secure.

The empty lot along Monmouth was cleared of all obstacles and debris, down to the last discarded pop can. 

“Blue--”

“I got it, Ronan!”

“Whatever,” he signed. He gripped the door handle in his right hand. 

Blue closed her eyes and took a breath. She turned the ignition, and the BMW growled to life. Blue grinned despite her jangly nerves. She shifted the gear into first and promptly killed the engine.

“Christ and all the saints, Sargent! Use the fucking clutch!”

“I know, I know! I’m sorry!” Blue shook her head and wrestled her nerves into order. She patted the car, apologizing even though she knew Ronan did far worse to it. She took another breath and started the car. She eased into the gas, successfully shifting into first. Gently, gently, she added some speed, bring the car up to fifteen miles per hour, then twenty, and turned the wheel left, steering the car in a lazy circle. 

She took the car in a slow, looping circuit, gradually adding speed as she let the rhythm and hum of vehicle and pavement sink under her skin. Ronan refrained from further commentary, the only sign that he was at all apprehensive. 

“Do it,” Noah whispered from the back, his breath icy, jolting Blue into attention.

She grinned. The car picked up speed, and she pulled the steering wheel ever more sharply, pressed the clutch and pulled up the hand brake.

The next steps happened almost too fast for Blue to really register what she made the car do – floor the accelerator, release the clutch and brake, and spin.

Once, twice, three times she let the car whirl, the intoxicating scent of burnt rubber and dirt blooming around her. Ronan inhaled deeply and let loose a feral _whoop_ of delight. Noah crowed from the back seat, and Blue felt as if she was made of light.

Then the wheel jerked in her hand. Blue eased up on the acceleration and aimed the car toward the end of the lot. She misjudged the length of pavement left and had to jam her foot on the brake, but Ronan didn’t even flinch as they lurched to a halt. 

Ronan reached over and tousled her hair, dislodging half a dozen bonny pins in the process. “Well done, Maggot! That’s better than Dec’s ever managed. I can’t wait to tell him.”

Blue mirrored his shark’s grin and held out her hand. Ronan slapped it.

“Ha ha. Very funny, Lynch. I won. Pay up.”

Ronan nodded his approval and retrieved his wallet from the glove box. “One, two three,” he counted out, placing crisp hundreds on her palm. “You do this again when Dick’s home, and I’ll double it.”

Blue pocketed the money and considered it. Gansey would almost certainly have some sort of fit. She held up her hand for a fist bump.

“Let’s do it.”


End file.
